


With claws and teeth

by pterawaters



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Dysfunctional Family, Episode Tag, Gen, Hale Family Feels, Resurrection, Season/Series 03 Spoilers, Sibling Rivalry, Werewolf Culture
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-01-23
Updated: 2014-01-23
Packaged: 2018-01-09 18:37:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,204
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1149438
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pterawaters/pseuds/pterawaters
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>To Peter, Talia's claws have more than sentimental value. They're the key to bringing her back.</p>
            </blockquote>





	With claws and teeth

Peter grins. Every moment of his life, from the fire until now, has been leading up to this. It wasn't hard to find a pack weak enough to make their alpha vulnerable. All he had to do was follow a pack of hunters and steal their half-dead prey like a coyote stealing its kill from a bear. The alpha didn't even get a chance to howl before Peter sliced his throat open.

It felt good to be an Alpha again, but Peter sought more. He'd always sought more, and this time, he would get his satisfaction. He'd long ago memorized the details of the ritual from the book in Talia's office, citing his place as second in command as the reason he needed so much information.

Peter had even meant to perform the ritual for poor, sweet Laura, before the hunters cut her in half. Maybe it can't be done with the only remains being five lonely claws, but it behooves Peter to try. After all, if anyone could remold themselves from the barest scrap of flesh, it would be Talia Hale. She'd survived the freaking wood chipper Peter had led her into when he was a child, survived and flourished. It had been fire that had finally brought her down. If Peter had just a single hair, he could probably bring her back. Her claws will just make this easier.

As the worm moon rises, Peter takes a deep breath. He feels the earth's energy around him, the rebirth in the air. It's time.

Peter carefully lines up the claws on the nematon stump before dosing himself with wolfsbane. He struggles to remain conscious as he brings his bare arm down onto the claws. The piercing of skin feels like sharp justice and Peter lets go of his power.

He doesn't let all of it go, of course. That would be tantamount to suicide. Peter lets go of just enough that Talia's body starts rebuilding itself. Her fingers reshape at the tips of her claws, followed by her hand, her wrist and her arm. When she has her elbow, the tips of the claws dig deeper into Peter's flesh and he has to start pulling back before she drowns him. 

It's a quick affair of dust remoulding into flesh and a bright flash of light, and then Talia is crouched at Peter's feet. He pries her claws out of his arm and sneers. "Welcome back, sister."

Talia looks up, her focus a thousand yards long as she brings one hand to her head, pushing it into her raven-black hair. Peter has always felt the urge to chop off that hair, shave it until there's nothing left but bald, pasty skin.

Before she says a word and much sooner than Peter would have guessed, Talia's eyes focus on his. She stands, draping her hair over her bare chest. It's nothing Peter hasn't seen a hundred times before, with Talia's penchant for running around in her full-wolf form. "Hello, brother." She smiles, her eye teeth as sharp as ever. "How long has it been?"

"Seven years." Peter reaches forward and dares to move a lock of hair off of Talia's forehead. Her face looks exactly the same as it did the day she died. Peter hates looking the same age as her. "You didn't think I'd forgotten about you, did you?"

"The others?"

"Just me left," Peter says, his heartbeat steady over the lie. He doesn't think Talia needs to know her son plays beta to a teenager, even if Scott McCall is a true alpha. "Just me and you." Peter flashes his eyes red at his sister. "And this time _I'm_ the one in charge. And believe me, sister. Payback's gonna be a bitch."

"Tsk, tsk, tsk," Talia says, putting her hands on her hips and drawing herself up to her full height. Peter hates that she's less than an inch shorter than him. He was supposed to grow taller than her. His entire childhood, Peter held onto the idea that Talia would stop growing and a few years later, Peter would finally tower over her. How disappointing when he reached twenty-five and Talia could still meet him eye-to-eye without looking up. "Brother. _Peter_. I will _never_ bow down to you."

Bile rises in Peter's throat. He knows what he has to do. He has to make Talia submit the way she always made Peter submit. He flashes his red eyes at her and gnashes his teeth. "I'm the alpha now, Talia. I've lived my whole life in your shadow. It's time _I_ step into the moonlight."

Talia laughs—she _laughs_ —and flashes red eyes of her own. Peter gasps and takes a step away from her. "Oh, brother, your arrogance has been your downfall again. You thought I, the rightful heir of the Hale family line, wouldn't come back an alpha?"

"I didn't come back an alpha after I died as one. I had to _earn_ it, Talia!"

She steps closer and Peter feels the adrenaline flooding his system, making his palms sweat and his heartbeat pick up its pace. Her face far too close for Peter's liking, Talia whispers, "You had to _steal_ it."

Peter takes a deep breath and roars at Talia. "I. Am. The. Alpha!"

Her voice still calm and cool, Talia says, "I'll give you a head start, seeing as we're family, Peter. Bringing me back is the last mistake you'll ever make."

Her eyes glow red again and she begins to change. Peter thinks about staying to fight, and if Talia had been brought back a weakened beta as he intended, Peter would have. He knows, though, what she's capable of. Peter knows his sister's ruthlessness and her wisdom.

He also knows that his best shot at survival is to run as fast and as far as possible before she catches him. Peter turns tail and runs. He changes into his alpha form as he runs, bones searing as they pop into place.

The forest rushes by as Peter lopes through it, the full worm moon heavy on his hairy back. The terrible sound of paws galloping over the ground follows Peter and he knows he doesn't have much longer.

He realizes in the moment before his sister catches up to him that he knew this end was possible. He was stupid to think the probability so low.

A black wolf half Peter's size, but twice as strong barrels him over, her teeth clamping down on his neck. One shake of her jaw and Peter feels his neck break. 

Instead of finishing the job, Talia lets him go. She backs away and meets his eyes, unblinking. Talia stares Peter down until he lets the last of his power go, shifts back into human form, and accepts her as his alpha, just like he always did while they were growing up.

Still a wolf, Talia rolls Peter onto his back and butts her head against his jaw. If he could speak, Peter would tell Talia he loves her, too. 

Suddenly her teeth pierce the skin of his neck and Talia rips Peter's throat away from his body. As his vision fades, Peter thinks it's right to end this way.

**Author's Note:**

> You can visit me [on tumblr](http://pterawaters.tumblr.com/) if you'd like :)


End file.
